European Championship qualifying may switch to Nations League-style format

An adapted version of the Nations League format is front runner among several options being considered for a revamp of the men’s European Championship qualifiers, which face an overhaul likely to be implemented after Euro 2028.

The Guardian understands the plans were presented to Uefa’s national team competitions committee on Tuesday and will now be considered by individual Football Associations, who will discuss them in smaller groups over the coming days. A final decision will be taken by the Uefa executive committee in Istanbul before next month’s Europa League final.

There has been concern for some time that current qualifying formats for international competitions are unappealing to fans and television rights holders. They have largely become routine for bigger countries, particularly since the increase in finals spots for European Championships and World Cups. A working group, including the FA chief executive, Mark Bullingham, has been studying fresh options for several months but finding consensus across the continent may not be straightforward.

A “Swiss system”, used in the Champions League since last season, is among the possibilities but could still lead to mismatches and is understood to be less favoured by broadcasters. It would guarantee smaller nations still play some big-ticket fixtures but is not considered to hold the appeal of a model based on the Nations League. That plan is preferred by the continent’s leading lights and, if agreed, it would be a variant of the format now used in Europe for women’s World Cup qualifying.

That tournament uses the most recent Nations League rankings as its basis, splitting into three leagues before dividing each into groups of four so that similarly-ranked teams face each other. Group winners from League A qualify automatically, with an extended playoff system determining who else progresses. Given 24 teams will qualify for the European Championship – as compared with 11 Uefa teams progressing to the Women’s World Cup – there are likely to be more direct qualifiers from any new format approved by Uefa.

The Nations League-style scheme would satisfy demand for games between the leading countries although those lower down the scale risk feeling sidelined, a topic likely to come up in this week’s discussions between federations. Retaining the status quo will also be discussed but is particularly undesirable to countries like England, who have lost only once since 2009 in qualifying campaigns for major tournaments and believe the system has gone stale.

There would be no increase in the number of matches but sources with knowledge of the process believe the mechanics of any change, including agreements with broadcasters, are unlikely to be in place before Euro 2028 qualifying begins next March.